Dangers In Darkness
by NewTownGirl
Summary: "You know I will protect him Maimeo, I will keep him safe from the darkness". "Oh Maggie, a girl of your age still afraid of the dark. What will we do with you?" A oneshot of Maggie's early life.


**Dangers In Darkness**

She started down at the chubby baby in it's crib and laughed as he looked up and gazed at her before gurgling out a noise of pure contentment. He reached out and she moved closer, her hair falling out from behind her ears creating a thick red wall between him and the outside world. He was perfect, his tiny fingers clutching at her hair and his eyes darting between his new toy and her smiling face. She could barely believe that it had only three days ago that she had been hurried off to the nearest neighbours to give her mother some privacy for the birth. Her father had come with her, leaving only the woman of the family to take care of the birth. It had made her nervous to leave her mother when she was on such obvious pain but now knew it was worth it. Her gift to the family was the most beautiful one in the world.

"Seamus", she murmured under her breath and his eyes stared up at her once more. She could feel her heart warming at just the sight of him. It has taken six years since her own birth but her parents had finally managed to create the son they all so desperately wanted.

"Maggie Reid get your head out of that crib right now", she turned, startled by the intrusion on her first time with her little brother. Her aging mother's mother who walked though and shooed her away. "Your little brother needs some sleep, now come though and help me get your father's soup ready.

"Yes Maimeo", she glanced back one more time to see her new brother silently close his eyes. She had wanted a little brother for so long and she uttered a quick prayer of thanks for both his and her mother's health.

"You know I will protect him Maimeo, I will keep safe from the darkness".

"Oh Maggie, a girl of your age still afraid of the dark. What will we do with you?" It only made her determination stronger. There was danger in the dark and her little brother would be safe from it, no matter what.

...........................................

It was a beautiful autumnal evening as Maggie gazed out over the hills towards the distant shore, if she squinted she fancied she could see a thin strip of dark blue just at the edge of the horizon before it melted into the sky. With difficulty she tore herself away from the hill and began the walk down back home. There was an air of excitement in the air; a celebration was organised for later this evening to celebrate the first good harvest in many years and she would need to be back quickly in order to get ready in time.

As she lightly jumped over the thing wall separating the field from the garden before coming to an abrupt stop. There were loud voices coming from inside and she could hear both her father and brother were in an argument with several other men. She wondered briefly whether it was appropriate to enter when they were obviously discussing something significant but there was little choice, unless she wanted to climb through her window she was going to have to go in.

"There is no choice in the matter, we must deal with it and deal with it quickly", as she opened the door the speaker fell quickly silent and she saw it was Mr Collins, another farmer from several mile to the west.

"Maggie", her father's voice was sharp and troubled. "Where have you been?"

"I just went up the hill, I was searching for wild flowers", her words seemed to calm him and she quickly shut the door and ran over to kiss him lightly on the cheek.

"Are you well, father?"

He grimaced but answered a quick yes before sending her to her room to get ready; they would be leaving for town before nightfall.

She still hadn't begun to change when her brother knocked on the door twenty minutes later. Although he was only 16 he towered over her petite frame, it always amazed her that such a giant and such a dwarf could be related.

"Maggie", he stuck his head round the door and seeing she was decent manoeuvred his way into the room.

"You're not dressed yet", he sounded surprised.

"Of course I'm not dressed yet, what's going on Seamus? Father says everything is well but I know he is lying. I think I have as much of a right to know as you do".

"I'm sorry sister but there are some things that are the job of men", there was a point of pride in his voice. It was something she had heard frequently since he had surpassed her height but for some reason it worried her now but she let it slide.

"Is something dangerous happening?" she looked him straight in the eye but he avoided her gaze as he answered.

"No", that was definitely untrue.

"Is this something to do with the O'Dwyer's disappearance?" It had been gossip in the area for the last week that the family had not been heard from and after missing church it been investigated by their neighbours. Everything had been in its place, including dinners that had rotted in their place; by the slight shift of his movement she knew this was the case.

"No", he lied to her once again.

"Do they know what happened to them?"

"No", lie.

"Are they planning on catching whoever did it?"

"No", lie.

"Have they got a plan?"

"No", lie.

"Are you involved?"

"No", another lie.

"Are you in danger?"

"No", she pulled her knees on to the bed to hold them.

"Are we all in danger?"

"No", for the first time it was not a lie. At least he didn't believe it to be.

He sat down on the bed next to her and put an arm around her neck.

"You are not in danger sister", his voice soothed her slightly. "I will never let anything happen to you. You may be my big sister but now it is my turn to protect you, understand?"

Pulling herself from his grasp she turned to look up at him and surveyed the boy that was now so nearly a man in front of her.

"No matter how big you get, or how old I will always protect you, little brother".

An hour later the small family was ready and comfortably set up in the small wagon, Maggie could see a potato under her father's seat at the front that had obviously been missed on the last trip to the market. She had dressed simply and at the order of her mother had packed a small bag with some essentials and a second containing food for the next few days. They would be staying in the church until whatever was happening was over. She had tried to ask her mother about what was happening as they prepared the food but had found nothing new, just a repeat of the speech her brother gave about the place of women.

They left when the sun was still just over a half inch from the horizon but Maggie could see both her father and brother could not take their eyes off it. Every time it looked a little bit closer to sunset they would urge the horse on faster towards the tiny valley that held the village.

They arrived as the sun finally hit the horizon and her father sighed with relief. They quickly moved what little they had brought with them into the church where the rest of the village and the outlying farms was already there, the men were all talking in low voices in small groups and many of them appeared to have brought weapons with them but she did not have time to contemplate this before she was sent to work setting up a sleeping area by her mother. By the time she had finished the last of the light was disappearing from the windows and a heavy silence began to hang in the air around them. Even the children had stopped playing as the men and many of the older boys stopped their discussions and gazed around with mistrust.

She could see her own father and brother standing by one of the windows watching careful and she shivered, reminded of her old fear of the dark, before clutching at the hand of her mother who stood by her side, who turned her head and smiled down at her daughter. The small movement seemed to lift the room and everyone began moving again, although with less enthusiasm. With nothing better to do those not involved in the watch by the windows began falling asleep quickly but despite her best efforts Maggie could not turn her brain off. She stared at her brother intently as he did his watch and the last thing she could remember before finally nodding off was his smile as he turned to check on her.

The noise was deafening, screaming and a guttural roar. Maggie closed her eyes tighter, trying to escape the noise in her dream. Then her eyes opened. She was still facing the window that her brother had guarded but he was no longer there, instead she looked in horror at the broken glass of the window. She jumped up, quickly drawing in the scene of horror in front of her.

Despite the noise a number of the women and children were still asleep in at the back of the church but they were quickly being roused by others. Those who were aware of what was going on were in a panic and several of them were screaming. Maggie's eyes scanned the group looking for her family but failed to find any of them. Turning in a panic she saw her worst nightmare at the front of the church: several of the men were already dead; their blood pooling on the floor; others still though were fighting although what she could not quite work out. Whatever it was moved far too fast for any of the men to grab a hold of it and it danced among them killing at random. She saw her father fall and her brother run to his side, trying to pull him from the throng of men. Before thinking she ran to join them and grabbed one of his arms but she could already tell it was too late, his head lay to the side his eyes staring aimlessly.

Seamus had already returned to the fight and she made immediately to join him, grabbing a lantern from the wall as she made her way towards the demon blur. It would not take anymore of her family.

And then the carnage stopped and she paused midstep. A cold presence stood behind her but she didn't have time to turn before a raspy voice whispered in her ear.

"Well, well, what do we have here? A girl who thinks she can fight in a man's battle? Were this any other situation I would take you home and make you mine", she shuddered at the implication but didn't have time to dwell. "Oh well, this isn't the time. I'll just have to make the most of you right now", and with that latched on to her neck.

She could feel the blood being pulled out her system and her knees gave way but he held her up.

SMACK

She was on the floor, and could hear a loud growl from behind her.

"Maggie", her brother rolled her over. "What did he do to you?" His eyes shone with rage and before she could attempt to move he had thrown himself back into the brawl. The monster was everywhere, killing indiscriminately. Despite the efforts of the few remaining men he had made his way to the back of the hall and had made his way through the women and children, tiny bodies littered the floor.

The pain in her neck was increasing, despite the severe blood loss she could also feel a burning emanating from the wound through the rest of her body. She tried desperately to watch for her brother's red hair in the brawl but it was impossible. The pain was too distracting and she grunted with excretion as she tried to pull herself into a sitting position. Flames had appeared at the back of the church, apparently someone had tried to burn the creature but in the excitement had instead lit one of the large tapestries and smoke was filling the church.

A manic laughter filled the hall and two figures stood in the mist. In horror Maggie watched as the demon walked forward, his arms wrapped tightly around her brother.

He didn't stop to glance at her as he walked out the large doors, his prize still captured tightly in his strong hands. Desperately she tried to pull herself forward, trying to cut them off before they got to the door but it did no good. By the time she got there they had disappeared into the darkness.

"SEAMUS!" Her scream echoed through the night as she pulled herself out of the door and on to the ground outside before her eyes closed and she succumbed to the pain.

Time had become meaningless; all she could remember was pain. There was nothing but the burning that filled her veins and she prayed for the release of death. Surely she must be ashes now; the burning of the church next to her combined with her own agony it was impossible to believe she could survive.

But if she was dead why did it still hurt? Shouldn't heaven be painless? There was nothing in her life she could have done to deserve the fires of hell for eternity. And why did her heart still beat? Was it simply torturing her with the reminder of a life she would no longer live?

And then the pain changed, it shrunk into her slightly and she could feel the tips of her fingers again. She couldn't help it, her eyes opened and her control was gone. She screamed, it was a grotesque sound and she quickly stifled it. She was still in the church yard but had moved away from the skeleton of the building. She barely had time to register what was happening around her before the pain intensified around her heart and she sank back into the pain.

The next thing she knew she was rolled into a ball, her arms tight around the fire in her heart. She knew her body could not win the war against the fire but it didn't bother her. She only wished for death now, to be back with her parents, to know what had happened to her brother whom she had failed to save. With one last push the fire took her heart and it finally gave in. Everything was still.

At the last moment she took in a deep breath and held it, waiting for the end.

It never came. And neither did the need to let out the breath.

She opened her eyes. And she could see everything. Closing her eyes again she tried to get a handle of what was happening but the lack of visual simulation did nothing to help.

She could hear everything.

She could smell everything.

But more than anything her throat burnt with a fire that was indescribable.

Standing up quickly she opened her eyes again and looked down at herself. Her dress was ripped and covered in mud and soot but that didn't matter to her. She was entirely engrossed in her own skin. It was white and hard as marble and she took in another breath as she realised that it was the same skin as the demon. The same skin as the monster that had taken her brother.

How dare he? He had taken her friends, taken her parents and quite literally taken her brother and now he had taken her death as well. She punched a tree next to her and was shocked when it literally fell apart. Well that was something.

Unwilling to stay where she was she began moving through the village and quickly picked up on a strange scent. It was rich and appetising and was moving with another. Her mouth watered, and then blanched. This was her brother's scent, her brother's blood had been spilled on this route and she was hungry for it. It disgusted her, but it did not stop her following it. She would not let her brother die, she would protect him. It was what she was born to do. And if it was too late, she was going to take from the demon exactly what he had taken from everyone she loved, take what he had failed to take from her.

And with that she ran into the night.

_A/N: This was more of an experiment than anything else. I had a character, Maggie, and three pictures as inspiration for her life (a baby, a church and a sunset) and this is what I came up with. Please review, am really interested to know how people think I managed with my own little challenge! Thanks for reading :)_


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